Russia has one of the highest rates of abortion in the world: 53.7 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44, according to recent UN statistics. In recent years, Russian leaders, worried about the country's declining population, have increasingly begun to view abortion as a threat to national security.

Vladimir Putin won another victory in yesterday’s presidential elections in Russia. Putin, who has been either president or prime minister for the past 12 years, was expected to win. Putin's victory comes with widespread allegations of fraud – by international observers and his opponents

On Sunday, Russian voters go to the polls to elect a new president in a new environment. During the last few months, Russia has seen its biggest protests since the fall of the Soviet Union. As the election nears, the country has mobilized an unprecedented number of voting monitors.

The timing of an alleged plot to assassinate Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has raised eyebrows. State television blames Chechen rebels. Many Russians, however, have called the plot a fabrication to garner sympathy for Putin ahead of this weekend’s elections.

As the U.S. economy struggles, South America's is booming — and so is its political influence. Author and Financial Times correspondent Hal Weitzman tells Worldview why he thinks we need Latin America more than it needs us.